Clinical managements of implant periapical lesions: a report of three cases with five to twelve years of follow-up

The purpose of this report is to suggest clinical managements of implant periapical lesions by presenting three clinical cases managed by either the infected form or the inactive form with the follow-up period of five to twelve years. One patient with no clinical symptom was regarded as inactive form. Two patients having pain were regarded as infected form and have been under the systemic antibiotic therapy. In one patient, the symptom subsided and the size of radiolucent lesion decreased. However, the other patient showed increased size of lesion causing the implant unstable, which leaded to remove the implant and to replace it. There was neither additional increase of the lesion nor functional problem for all three. It is important to detect implant periapical lesion in early stage before jeopardizing the stable implant and manage properly using systemic antibiotic therapy and surgical approach if needed, depending on infected form and inactive form.